BHUBANESWAR: Kay Collections, an ethnic women wear manufacturing firm, is returning Australia this November with an exclusive collection of hand woven sarees, which reflect the rich weaving traditions of India.
The exhibition is scheduled from November 16 to 18, 2018 at Waldorf Apartments in Australia. Director of the expo Kushma Ram has been collaborating with weavers and embroiderers of various craft communities across India since 2011. He has been designing sarees and recreating traditional ones using centuries-old handloom techniques.
On a brief interaction with Orissa Post, she said, “These are vegetable-dyed sarees made from natural yarns of cotton and tussar silk, hand woven by the tribal weavers of the Mirgan community from Koraput, Odisha. Kotpad sarees which are not readily available in the market, unlike most other sarees, has a labour intensive process of production, done largely by women. Before weaving begins, the dyes are extracted from the bark of the Aal (Indian Madder) tree; a laborious process carried out entirely by women that can take over a month to prepare. When dyed, the rough, low count cotton yarn yields rich hues of maroons, browns and blacks.”
Kotpad sarees come with minimal motifs, the designs of which depict the daily lives of the communities in Odisha’s natural, rural environment, represented by fish, boats, houses, axe and butterflies. The sophistication of the saree is embodied in the combination of an off-white base with splashes of coffee brown and maroon yarns in motifs, borders and pallus. So what makes the Kotpad saree so special? Kushma explains that ‘the Kotpad saree is the epitome of simplicity and minimalism. The process involved in making it is entirely organic in nature.
Kotpad weaves were the first article from the state of Odisha that received the Geographical Indication (GI) of India tag in the year 2005. Kay Collections collaborated with three weaving families from Koraput for this special collection.
The exhibition will also feature the Australian premiere of critically acclaimed documentary ‘Kotpad Weaving: The Story of a Race Against Time’ (2018), made by award-winning writer-director Biswanath Rath of BnR Films), Chennai. This documentary was telecasted on the TV Channel ‘DD National’ (Indian Public Service Broadcaster) March 24, 2018. Since then, the documentary has received ‘Official Selections’ and screenings in 3 International Film Festivals across the globe. The film explores the uniqueness of Kotpad Handloom, issues and possible solutions for revival of this unique craft.
There will also be other video documentaries about weaving and embroidery techniques and the processes involved in putting together a saree, books on sarees and display of award winning handwoven sarees of India. This unique feature of Kay Collections saree exhibitions has been received very positively by saree lovers as well as those who come to enjoy such expos.
Besides the Kotpad Collection, the exhibitions will have a fresh collection of hand woven and hand embroidered sarees from a number of weaving districts in India. Kay Collections works closely with many of the single-loom families in remote villages that rely primarily on handloom weaving as their source of family income. ‘We feel very privileged to be able to share their unique creations with saree lovers in Australia’, says Kushma, ‘and are thankful to the Australian audience for appreciating and valuing the tremendous skill and passion of the handloom weavers’.
The exhibition provides an excellent opportunity to view, drape and purchase some of the most colourful and meticulously hand-woven sarees to suit any wardrobe, function or season.